Once cheddar was 'Cheddar', a large, hard-pressed barrel of cheese made by a particular…

freshly grated nutmeg

Method

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large saucepan and fry the mince until browned – you may need to do this in batches. Set aside as it browns. Put the rest of the oil into the pan, add the vegetables and cook on a gentle heat until soft, about 20 mins. Add the garlic, flour and tomato purée, increase the heat and cook for a few mins, then return the beef to the pan. Pour over the wine, if using, and boil to reduce it slightly before adding the stock, Worcestershire sauce and herbs. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 45 mins. By this time the gravy should be thick and coating the meat. Check after about 30 mins – if a lot of liquid remains, increase the heat slightly to reduce the gravy a little. Season well, then discard the bay leaves and thyme stalks.

Meanwhile, make the mash. In a large saucepan, cover the potatoes in salted cold water, bring to the boil and simmer until tender. Drain well, then allow to steam-dry for a few mins. Mash well with the milk, butter, and three-quarters of the cheese, then season with the nutmeg and some salt and pepper.

Spoon meat into 2 ovenproof dishes. Pipe or spoon on the mash to cover. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese. If eating straight away, heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7 and cook for 25-30 mins, or until the topping is golden. Or follow the steps (below) to freeze.

Tip

Our top tips

To get really smooth, creamy mash, use a potato ricer or sieve.
To stop the mash sinking into the filling, allow the meat to cool
before topping with the mashed potato.
Freeze in individual ovenproof dishes for an easy meal for one. For a really crisp, golden topping, flash under the grill for a few
mins before serving.

Tip

If you want to use a slow cooker...

Brown your mince in batches then tip into your slow cooker and stir in the vegetables, flour, purée, wine, stock, Worcestershire sauce and herbs with some seasoning. Cover and cook on High for 4-5 hours. Make the mash following step 2, above, and then oven cook to finish according to step 3.

Tip

Foolproof freezing

Make sure the pie is completely cold, then cover it well with
cling film and freeze. Always freeze the pie on the day that you make it. Defrost in the fridge overnight, then cook as per the recipe. Alternatively, to cook from frozen, heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4, cover
with foil and cook for 1½ hrs. Increase oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7,
uncover and cook for 20 mins more, until golden and bubbling.

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Comments, questions and tips

Comments (266)

ShebaH8th Dec, 2016

awesome recipe!! Wine makes all the difference :) moved to states from N.Ireland, co-workers can't get enough of this when I bring it in for lunches! I do cut back beef stock to 500ml I like my gravy THICK :)

American here, great recipe! Thanks for naming it a cottage pie rather than a Sheppard's pie--I hate that. Anyway, I used a leftover pulled roast rather than mince. It was great. I used leftover 4 pound roast that was cooked in a slow cooker for 6 hours on high with one package each of dry ranch and aju mix, 1/4 pound butter, and 6 pepperoncinis. It's great by itself on a toasted roll with provolone. Cheers.

I made 2 of these as I was catering for a crowd. Like others, I substituted leeks for celery. I thickened the base with cornflower as I have a wheat intolerance. Had lots of compliments, a really good recipe.

This is a delicious recipe. I tend to make the base at least the day before I need it and then make up the mash and finish off later. Always goes down well. Definitely use the wine - adds good flavour.

Took quite a while to prepare. Decided to prepare one day and assemble the next. The cheeses mash topping is fabulous! I used extra cheese in the mash. The Nutmeg adds a special touch but you could manage without it. I'm going to make it again for a big family gathering so that some of my family (who live away) can take freshly prepared portions home for their next evening meal. Definitely worth the effort!

I just cooked this tonight for my 2 boys and the wife, it's a very quick dish to prepare for the quality of meal, next time I will add some mushroom ketchup to the mince whilst browning. All in all, clean plates all round to my dogs dismay!

Fantastic but it did take all day to prepare it...Might have something to do with drinking the rest of the wine after using a large glass in the cookingSeriously, it does take time to prepare and cook it and you MUST allow time to cool down before adding the mash but it's well worth it.Freezing ??....No, there was none left it was that nice !

The BEST! I have made this several times for groups of up to 40 - people constantly rave about it. I make the filling ahead of time, freeze it, then a day before assemble with the potatoes - makes it easy on the day of the party to just cook. Making it again today for a family get-together. I don't add the cheese to the potatoes as some people don't like/are sensitive to cheese and it's never been missed. Try this and you'll love it!

Excellent recipe. It might take a while to make but it's definitely worth it. I threw in all the ingredients mentioned and it tasted amazing. The red wine and the nutmeg are such a great addition to the recipe, they really add flavour to the dish and I would not cook it without them as I reckon they make this cottage pie so tasty.

I really want to make this, but I have a couple of questions. The recipe calls for tomato puree - does this correspond to the American tomato paste, or to our tomato sauce? And how large are the baking pans? Thanks - I can't wait to try it!

I wish I could answer easily - I am not sure even though I have been to USA many times. Our tomato puree comes in a very small tin or a tube and is very condensed and used for cooking. As opposed to our tomato sauce - which is your ketchup. As regards the pans/dishes I used a glass oven proof casserole dish for serving and cooked this in the oven without the lid about 25 mins before serving so the potato went nice and crisp and the whole dish was nice and hot. You will enjoy

Tomato puree is a very thick puree, most often found in a tube or small can so I think your version would be Tomato paste. We know tomato sauce as ketchup (ie, a dipping condiment for French fries) and it's definitely not that. x

My word this recipe makes an absolutely gorgeous cottage pie. I replaced the celery with leeks and maybe should not have used an excellent bottle of Chateauneuf-du-pape to put in the sauce. But, it was amazing - a five star experience without a doubt.

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Questions (11)

pixilate27th Feb, 2015

not everyone needs to prepare a recipe to provide for 10 as this recipe does, and there is no indication of what size the oven proof dishes should be for this volume to allow it to be scaled down.Could this information in litre capacity for the dishes be included in recipes for those of us who have to cater for ourselves?, and what size dishes are required for this recipe?

I am a half decent cook and can follow a recipe (I know - self praise is no recommendation!) but know little about the science of cooking. Not knowing what some ingredients do when incorporated into a recipe leaves me at risk when setting off on an 'experimental recipe'. For example when would you use plain flour instead of self raising? What does bicarbonate of soda do when added to a recipe.? Is there a book on the market that deals with this topic in a user friendly way? Regards and thanks. Peter

I'm an absolute amateur so apologies for the presumably silly question here, but I need some mothering please! I'm going to make this in the afternoon then serve it up in the evening. When re-heating, how hot should the oven be so it doesn't keep cooking/burn the pie? Thanks so much for any help you can give!

Tips (4)

Have just made this again as we have family staying with us. As usual the taste of this recipe is superb but I did ring the changes somewhat with the topping. Having read a Mary Berry recipe for a similar dish I used her suggestion. Simply boil enough baby new potatoes, skin on to cover the dish. I crushed them lightly in the pan then arranged them on the cold filling. Finally topped off with grated cheddar and cooked at 200c. fan for 30 - 35 mins. Superb and an interesting variation for the topping. Served with cut beans and peas.

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